As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Has anyone paid cash to stay at a DVC resort? We are trying it for the first time and we are wondering if someone else has done so. Since it is a new experience we want to know if there are special things to know. For example, we have found out that you cannot get room service on the dining plan in most DVC resorts.
I have not paid cash for a DVC resort. I have rented points however and I would highly recommend you consider checking that out because you will probably pay half the price. Try David's DVC rental or Mouseowners.com.
Yes, we already know that renting points costs less.
As His Drewness mentioned, we were a bit taken aback to learn that room service is OOP-only at all Villas except BWI's. Seems weird it's possible to get DDP room service at one resort but not others.
What we're wondering is what other little-known ways an OOP DVC stay differs from a regular room one.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
We paid cash for a DVC studio at the Poly when they first opened and had a couldn't pass it up discount. We did get daily cleaning and I think nightly turn down service. People staying on points don't get the daily cleaning. We couldn't use the DVC laundry room not that I want to do laundry on vacation anyway.
Huh. Good thing we booked a 1br then. I'd have been chapped had we gotten a studio and found we couldn't use the laundry room. Occasionally, I need to run a load or two before our return home.
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“People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.” —Winnie-the-Pooh
Huh. Good thing we booked a 1br then. I'd have been chapped had we gotten a studio and found we couldn't use the laundry room. Occasionally, I need to run a load or two before our return home.
We could have used the regular laundry room if we wanted to but we would have had to pay to do the laundry.
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If you book a DVC room with cash then they treat it like any other room. You will get maid service. If they forget then just call and ask for it. Every building has a free laundry room for those staying in a studio. Feel free to use it as much as you like. I would also recommend renting points if possible.
We are DVC members, but have stayed at DVC resorts a few times paying OOP. Since we are a family of 5, with two teenagers, we need more room than we can get at a regular Disney resort room. We have never used room service while on DDP, so sorry - I can't answer that question.
Sometimes you can get a relatively good deal on the DVC rooms (compared to rack rates or two resort rooms, depending on the resort) using seasonal or AP discounts when they are available at DVC resorts.
I am considering renting points for my August trip but have never done so. Can anyone tell me what would be considered a good price per point?
David's DVC has a flat rate. It looks like they're charging $15 a point, plus a $2 premium for booking earlier than the 7 month mark. (Their rates must have gone up recently!) Renting directly from owners will be maybe $2 per point less than David's (that's what I've heard - I've never rented direct). If you rent direct, do some homework to avoid scams.
Most of the companies range from $15-$17 a point depending on the resort and time of year. So basically you can get a studio dvc room for about what you would pay for a moderate room. You can google dvc rental and a few companies pop up and they have rate calculators for you to see exactly what it would cost. I have my second trip booked with one of the companies and have not had any issues. If you know for sure that you are going and can pay the whole thing up front, then it is a great way to stay at a dvc resort for a decent price.
I just saw this post. I hope I'm not too late to add my thoughts.
I've stayed at DVC resorts for cash. As PPs said, you get regular daily housekeeping and refills on towels and soaps. Check-in is easy. You can use the Bounceback offers just like in a regular resort room.
You still don't have access to the DVC-only lounges like the one at the top of BLT or the one in the Imagination Pavilion at Epcot.
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I have rented through individuals I found on mouseowners and have not paid over 14 dollars a point. I will say though, generally people charge more for the more popular resorts!
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